


A Bigger World

by Christy (wildchild)



Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-03-30 00:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3917032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildchild/pseuds/Christy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Sunnydale collapses, the Scooby Gang found out more about what the world was really like</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adjustment Factor

Title: Adjustment Factor  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 15  
Fandom/Theme: Angel/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal, TtH, Ffnet  
Series: FFA Madness #24; A Bigger World #1  
FFA Pairing: Fred/Jean Claude  
Spoilers: None   
Summary: Fred goes to St Louis after the events in “Guilty Pleasures” (AB verse)  
  
Fred had never quite grasped why she'd been the first, outside of those from Sunnydale, who'd figured out once they got back that vampires had somehow become citizens. Or maybe it was because the group had given the former slave a massive crash course in what she'd missed in the past few years. The way Cordelia had explained it to her, the mayor of Sunnydale had wanted his own little kingdom, so made sure everyone in town was unaware of what was going on. Either way, she'd been rather eager to volunteer when Angel had mentioned that he needed to send an envoy to the new Master of St. Louis. It would be to both strengthen their ties and remind the new Master that Angelus was still someone a fellow Master would do good to have as an ally, even if Jean Claude had more physical years on him. Cordelia had been surprised when Fred had almost jumped to go, but glancing over at the furious looks being thrown back and forth between Wes and Gunn, she had a good feeling why Fred would appreciate leaving town for a while.  
  
*****  
  
Jean Claude sighed as he glanced over all the paperwork he had left to do. There was Guilty Pleasures and a discussion with Raina to be had about whom among her wolves were able to be used at the club. Then there was the Circus and the contract he had to finalize before the new act with the Lamia could commence. And just then, his intercom buzzed. “Oui?”  
  
“Sir, the envoy from the Master of LA is here to see you,” his secretary informed him.  
  
“Very good. Please hold all my calls except for those from Ms. Blake,” he instructed, thought he could hear in her acknowledgment that she would rather tell the animator to take a long dive off a short pier, but when her Master said something, she would obey.  
  
By the time Fred had entered his office, his desk was clear and his blank face was on. He was mildly surprised and amused when he saw who Angelus had sent, however. “Miss Burkle, thank you for coming,” he greeted her, holding his hand out as she did the typical eye shuffle most humans did.  
  
“Thank you for seeing me. Angel said you had been unusually busy with the local lycanthrope population since your predecessor had been rather...harsh,” Fred replied succinctly as she sat in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.  
  
Jean Claude nodded in acknowledgment. “And why does the Master of LA come to me with an envoy?” he asked, though he thought he already knew part of the answer. Angelus, for being such a relatively young Master, was know to have all Cats as his animal to call.  
  
“He has a son now and knows of your concern with his animal to call,” Fred told him, hands folded in her lap.  
  
“A son? That prophecy was a true one then?” he demanded, more surprised by that than Fred's implied assurances of non hostilities between their two territories.  
  
“Yes, sir, it appears so. We have had to rebut repeated recursions by the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart and the...assistance of a new, more powerful Master might aid us,” she said apologetically.  
  
Jean Claude pondered this as he watched the younger woman. Having met Angelus a few times when Darla had visited Bella Morte, he knew it took a lot for the other vampire to ask for help, however vaguely. “This seems the type of thing I would wish to discuss further with your Master,” was his noncommittal reply, and Fred nodded, thanked him for his time, and left.


	2. King in Check

Title: King in Check  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 15  
Fandom/Theme: Angel/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal, TtH, Ffnet  
Series: FFA Madness #25; A Bigger World #2  
FFA Pairing: Illyria/Jean Claude  
Spoilers: None   
Summary: The God-King of the Primordium wishes a word with the Master of St. Louis  
  
It had been a couple years since he'd had Angelus's delightful _pom de sang_ visiting. As she'd written him later, they had been busy with a couple of near apocalypses and the concern of raising a small child in that chaos. Then had come the alarming letter from Angelus asking him if he knew of any local necromancers that might be well versed in portal spells. Unfortunately, what with Anita away learning how to control, or as he knew she would, try to close the marks between herself, himself and the ever delightful Monsieur Zeeman, the only necromancer he had access to was off limits.  
  
The Vampire Council as a whole had never really cared for the transdimensional upstarts that they felt the Senior Partners were, but as long as they didn't incite riots or try to start an apocalypse, the Council left them alone. So when Fred had written him, all excited, that Angelus had managed to take control of the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart., Jean Claude knew the Council would appreciate that one of their own had a foothold there. He was puzzled, however, when she registered no recognition when he had asked after Connor.   
  
On this day, he was listening to Jason explaning about how the wolves were adjusting to Anita as their _Bolverk_ when Jason stopped, midsentence, and stared at the door, concerned.  
  
“I sense a disturbance in the Force,” he commented jokingly, those his tone was all seriousness.  
  
“What do you mean, _mon lupe_?” the vampire asked a moment before opening his shields more and felt HER. But before he could warn the young wold, the door flew off its hinges and Illyria appeared. He may not have known her personally, but all in the Council had passed down the knowledge of the Old Ones, fathers and mothers of such as Marmee Noir, but so ancient and terrifying, their descendants had them imprisoned in the Deeper Well. Somehow, however, Illyria had escaped.  
  
“Halfling, what did you know about what was done to me?” she demanded, and it took Jean Claude a moment to realize the God-King wore Winnifred's face.  
  
Remembering his etiquette, he rounded his desk and bowed as deeply as possible in front of her. “I know not of which you speak, Old One.”  
  
Illyria glanced over at Jason in disdain before advancing toward the vampire. She cocked her head to the side, studying him. “You mean to say your kinsman Angelus did not ask you for advice about binding my powers?” she spat out, her eyes glowing blue fire.  
  
“I swear, Lady Illyria, I did not. Although, if I may be so bold as to ask what reason did they try to give for binding you?”  
  
In answer, Illyria flung out her hand, destroying the paper screen he used to hide the torture coffins before speaking. “They told me my time shifting was beginning to unravel the thread of this timeline. I saw myself in a bar speaking to one of the Allsiders about why she wished to spare the humans the pains of all the knowledge she had one moment, then I was fighting the halfling Spike and then I was arguing with Angelus. He is the one who told me that if he hadn't bound me, I would have destroyed the whole of this thread of existence.”  
  
“And what of Fred? The uh-” Jean Claude started.  
  
“This shell? It will suffice for now, and since I retain enough of its surface memory, I can still travel as thus,” she explained, morphing into Fred.  
  
“If it would please you, Illyria, I much prefer your original countenance- the God-King of the Primordium is something to be feared,” he said eloquently while Jason could only try and stay out of the way.  
  
Illyria inclined her head and returned to her normal form. “It is good to know one of our allies did not assist in this. I will go and inform the halflings about this,” and with that, she left.  
  
“Um, Master, what, if anything, should we do?” Jason asked hesitantly.  
  
“Nothing for now, but I have been hearing whispers from the Council. This, combined with things _ma petite_ tells me that she doesn't know are important, I feel the _Mother_ is rising, and if so, who not but HER ancestor to rid us of a rather problematic issue?”


	3. The Elder Ones

Title: The Elder Ones  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 15  
Fandom/Theme: Buffy/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal, TtH, AO3  
Series: FFA Madness #38; A Bigger World #3  
FFA Pairing: Illyria/Marmie Noir  
Spoilers: None   
Summary: Illyria confronts one of her children.

It was the slipper she noticed first. The jeweled slipper she remembered hiring an artisan to design because her daughter had wished it - then having the man executed so that he could not do so for anyone else. Illyria also noted that her daughter had gotten better at drawing the shadows around herself to hide in.  
“People that have grown up since we were strong have grown jealous of the powers we would wield,” the Mother of All Darkness whispered as Illyria came into the chamber.  
Illyria smirked as she watched Marmie pace her room. “They mean to kill you, much as they tried with me before,” she commented offhandedly, as if the Vampire Council plotting to kill the creator of all vampires was an everyday occurrance.  
“They have even corrupted my Harlequin,” she pouted, abandoning her shadows for her True Face, knowing her parent was one of the few to handle it.  
“Then we must work on preserving what of you we can, because your foolish children would rather destroy us both than listen.”  
Mother grinned ferally. “I have a connection to the necromancer and have used her to call my Cats together. I need power to withstand what the Council plans.”  
”Why not simply consume her body for your purposes as I did with this shell?”  
Her daughter growled in frustration. “Because part of what makes her so powerful a necromancer is her ability to refuse me unless I overwhelm her defenses. That, and I do not think the Master she is the human servant for would stand idly by should I attempt it.”  
“Then we must work on severing those ties before letting her be consumed. My daughter, there is still much time.”


	4. Not My Type

Title: Not My Type  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 18  
Fandom/Theme: Buffy/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal.com and TtH  
Series: FFA Madness #1; A Bigger World #4  
Spoilers: None  
FFA Pairing: Dawn/Anita  
Summary: Anita Blake gets a little more than she bargained for when she meets Marshal Dawn Summers  
Author's Note: This series is because I wanted to branch my muse out from just writing Alissa and/or Castle and so I scoured the FFA list for ones I liked and hadn't been done yet. I think I ended up with a list of about 28 pairings I'll be ending up doing, though I have three written that when I post them here will be linked to the FFA pairings...all else will go here...enjoy :D  
  
Anita had thought that the new Marshal might be a good sight better than her last partner, but since the other two Marshals on this job were Olaf and Edward, she wasn't so sure. Marshal Summers was 5'10”, a little bit taller than Edward and most definitely taller than her, but she seemed harder than both of them somehow. So, once the women were both alone while the boys scouted out the perimeter, she turned to the younger woman, keeping an eye on the house for escaping vamps, though the Marks she shared with Jean Claude should help in that regard. “How are you able to handle all of this? I mean, I know how things were for me, my necromancy and connections to the dead, but, hell, you didn't seem old enough to drink until I saw you drink that Bringer vampire under the table last month,” she commented as they checked both personal arsenals in preparation for Edward's signal. Anita had her sword as long as her forearm already strapped to her back, knives in both wrist sheathes, her Browning HR in the shoulder holster, her Ruger LCR .38 in the rear pants holster and another couple throwing knives in the sheathes in her boots, courtesy of Godofredo. From what she could see on Dawn, there were sais on both sides of her belt, two 1991 A-1 .45s in her double shoulder holster, a Mossberg 500 rifle slung across her back, not to mention the large katana strapped to her own back that she'd told Anita during an earlier mission her friend Mac had given it to her.  
  
Glancing up from loading her extra clips into their spots of easier access, Dawn slid her piercing gaze towards the Executioner. “Simple- I grew up in Sunnydale,” she told her then stood up and headed towards the firefight that the boys had apparently started without them.  
  
*****  
  
Anita and Edward had been comparing notes about the kiss of vampires they'd just finished off when they heard commotion coming from the other side of the house. They both came at a run, only to find Dawn sighting down her body at Olaf, whose hands, Anita noted, were covered in blood, since at least Anita and Edward knew he preferred a more hands on approach for getting rid of vampires. Apparently Summers hadn't known and _really_ didn't like it. She went to say something to Dawn but soon realized all the other woman's attention was on Olaf at the moment.  
  
“Look here, big guy- I've ignored the grumbles and gripes about having to work with a female, cuz I know Blake is more a part of the boys club than my sister could ever attempt to be,” Dawn commented. Olaf smirked as he stared at her, but smart enough to neither move closer or go for one of his weapons.  
  
“Slayers...such a yummy treat,” he murmured, which caused Dawn's gun to ratchet a little higher then steady.  
  
“You FUCKING bastard! You're the one the Initiative used to try and break some of the minis!” she screamed, but her gun held steady.  
  
“Mmm, yes, the Keyed little sister..I was hoping to have an opportunity to meet you,” Olaf commented, which had Anita knitting her brow in confusion and glancing over at Edward, who merely shook his head and shrugged.   
  
Glancing to the side at the other two Marshals, Dawn said “Sorry to have to do this, but there's already an international warrant out on this fucker under his real name, so not even the State Department can override it. Problem is, it's one of those _**Execute With Due Prejudice**_ kind, cuz this was one of those spearheaded by the Queen herself. I didn't mean to get you two involved, but I don't know if I've have taken this assignment if I'd known who I'd have to be working with.”  
  
Edward was the one who glanced between the two combatants and asked what was on their minds. “What did he do?”  
  
“He helped the now disbanded Initiative, a government group within the US military, kidnap, torture, and experiment on some of the younger activated Slayers. Once the military docs were done with them, they'd give the ones Heinrich here liked best to him to play with and merely _disposed_ of the rest,” Dawn explained, her hands still steady on her gun, though her throat and eyes burned.  
  
 _That's why the lack of information on Olaf here in the States!_ Anita thought, then turned to Edward, the horror quickly turning to rage. “You **knew** ,” she stated.  
  
Edward put his hands up in surrender as Anita's Browning was quickly pointed at his head. “I knew he had sealed records, courtesy of the State Department, but not exactly why. I've met a few of the Slayers and if I'd known...” he started.  
  
“You would have still done nothing,” Olaf commented to Edward slowly. “You are as much a killer as I have been, and you cannot say you feel guilty about a couple of girls who are outlawed from doing what they think is their duty now anyway,” he said with a self-justified smile, even though Dawn had managed to switch from the handgun to the Mossberg while he'd talked. His smile dimmed a little when Edward began to grin, however. This was not his nice Ted, hale fellow well meet smile; this was Death's smile right before he cut you off at the knees.  
  
“For once, Olaf, you're wrong. I thought Ted needed someone like Donna and, while I miss her and her kids, Faith gets me better than almost anyone, outside of Anita. So no, I wouldn't have stood by. I will now, though, since I know this particular order from the Queen means only those with permission from the Watcher's Council can carry out the warrant.”  
  
Dawn smirked as she muttered a few words in Latin under her breath then began firing away with the rifle. Anita had thought it was an odd choice of weapons to use to execute someone, but then again, that hadn't thought they'd need to bring any of the semi-autos. Then she noticed that Olaf wasn't really moving. Granted, he was struggling to do so, but it was like he was in quicksand. She and Edward merely stood there and watched and Dawn literally cut him down to size. Once he was dead, she knelt down, gasping for breath, but that soon turned into tears and then progressed from there into gut wrenching sobs. Taking a deep breath after the storm of emotions had passed, Dawn stood back up, pointed at the body and simply said _Incindiere_. Olaf's body burst into flames as Dawn headed towards them.  
  
Looking at Edward, she said “Now I know why Faith says she loves Death between the sheets,” she commented with a slight grin, before turning and hugging Anita. “Thank you for understanding. Call me when the brass wants to hear my side of the story." She then headed back to her car, grabbing the rest of her gear along the way.  
  
Anita watched her go, then looked at Edward. “Faith? As in the only current Slayer to make Marshal? You're fucking her?”  
  
“Not that it's any of your business, but we do a lot more than fucking together,” was his smirked reply.


	5. Blood Kin and Sacrifices

Title: Blood Kin and Sacrifices  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 15  
Fandom/Theme: Angel/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal.com and TtH  
Series: FFA Madness #7; A Bigger World #5  
FFA Pairing: Cordelia/Anita  
Spoilers: None  
Summary: Anita and Jean Claude meet with the Master of LA  
  
I was quickly learning that I needed to come to terms with what it meant to be Jean-Claude's human servant, but DAMN the learning curve was long as hell. Right now, though, Jason was helping me get ready for a meeting that Jean-Claude had arranged, since I was still sore from the aftermath of the unoathed vampire case the day before. Granted, most of the scrapes were gone, but some of the more serious bruises sustained in trying to keep all of those I cared for in Guilty Pleasures safe still remained. This little get together was a combination of Jean-Claude's way of trying to say 'I'm Sorry' and also a way to look over the Master of LA and his wife, since they'd requested an audience with him on their way to Cleveland. Now, while I knew on one level that most major cities with a larger vampire population had a Master, I knew I had yet to have met the Master of LA, since most of my Marshal duties had a tendency to keep me in the Midwest, Vittorio's annoying bastard self migrating to Vegas being one of the only exceptions.  
  
A ghost of a wind had me opening the marks between myself and Jean-Claude, showing me the living room area through his eyes, which meant I saw that the Master of LA and his entourage had already arrived and that meant I was running late. Dammit, I hate when that happens! I urged Jason to hurry with his own getting ready, and rushed through the bowels of the Circus of the Damned to meet our guests.  
  
****  
  
“Liam Angelus, I present to you my human servant, Anita Blake,” Jean-Claude said smoothly as I entered the area we called our living room, usually, as was this instance, outfitted with mostly white, gold and silver curtains and decorations, though the cobalt blue pillows were a recent addition that most of my wereanimal friends had requested Jean-Claude to utilize. This being a formal Master to Master greeting I was only permitted the wrist sheathes full of knives, but no guns, something that always tended to make me twitchy, since I still preferred to rely on them than my unpredictable animals to call or the powers I seemed to keep inheriting from my marks with my Master, much as I hated that word.   
  
“The Executioner,” a brunette beside Liam commented as she stood.  
  
“My wife, Cordelia,” Liam said by way of introduction as she headed towards myself and the guards who'd come up behind me the moment I'd entered the room.  
  
“My apologies, Marshal Blake,” she commented when Liam laid a hand on her arm in warning. “Dawn told me you two had met on a previous case,” she explained as my mind flashed back to the last case I'd worked with Edward.  
  
“Dawn is your sister?” I asked, confused, since I had thought Dawn had said her sister was a blond.  
  
Cordelia just laughed. “No, her sister is the other Queen Slayer- the one who didn't want to test out as Marshal, so Dawn decided to do it in her place. I've known both Summers sisters for years, much like my husband.”  
  
I went towards her outstretched hand, going to meet her halfway like the civilized women we were pretending to be, but the _ardeur_ had other ideas. The hand clasping Cordelia's pulled her closer to me and I whispered “I'm sorry” against her mouth right before I kissed her. She kicked her heels off to get closer in height to me, moaning as she continued kissing me. I vaguely heard Liam in the background ask “She has the _arduer_?” and Jean-Claude's terse reply in French in the affirmative. I wasn't sure what effect this would have on things between the Masters of St Louis and LA, but at the moment, all I cared about was the woman in front of me with the scent of **Dior** on her skin.


	6. Screwing Your Head on Straight

Title: Screwing Your Head on Straight  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 18  
Fandom/Theme: Angel/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal.com and TtH  
Series: FFA Madness #10; A Bigger World #6  
FFA Pairing: Faith/Larry Kirkland  
Spoilers: During/right after the newest “Anita Blake” book  
Summary: Faith and Larry butt heads about what it means to be a US Preternatural Marshal  
Author's Note: I LOVE the AB series, but I really don't like how Larry's been acting as of late. This is not me saying I don't like the way LKH is writing him, more that I don't like the way he's being, so this is my way of having someone else say what I, and Anita, are thinking.  
  
Kirkland had come into work with his wife, since their little girl was happily enjoying herself at Grandma's at the moment. Tammy knew Larry had been upset that most of the recent Marshal postings had been going to Anita, but figured that it had been due to the fact of her being in Washington DC until recently. Then Brice had come in for the latest vampire issue and Larry had lost it when he'd come home. He'd paced back and forth, talking about how he'd gotten into the zombie raising business because, as everyone knew, it was a natural ability that **HAD** to be used, one way or another. He hadn't expected shootouts or kidnappings or killings, but that seemed to be part and parcel with being Blake's apprentice. Tammy had managed to calm her husband down, but as he walked into the precinct beside her, nodding at people he knew, she noted that the greetings seemed a little more stilted than they'd been before she'd left to help the Feds out.  
  
 _What happened while I was gone?_ she wondered as a brunette in leather pants sauntered past them and into Captain Storr's office. She turned to Larry to ask him who she was, but all he wanted to do was glare at the new arrival. “Hon, who was that? Last I knew, Anita was the only other Marshal who was helping out RPIT.”  
  
Larry's lips thinned even more. “Marshal Faith Lehane- she moved here from Cleveland about six months ago. I heard that she used to work with Angelus, the Master of LA, before coming out to the Midwest. Just another example of a Marshal turning into a monster because of the freaks she hangs out with,” he commented nastily. Turning to his wife, he said “Did you know that, before vampires were citizens, she had one of the highest body counts outside of Anita? Apparently she's one of those European trained mercenaries- a slayer, I think they said.”  
  
Tammy was surprised to note the brunette turned around in the closed door office to look at them both for a moment before turning back to the Captain and commenting something that had him whipping open the door and demanding both Kirklands come into his office. While Tammy sauntered in, puzzled, Larry stomped in reluctantly, reminding her more of their three year old than her lover at the current moment. “Captain?”  
  
Storr folded his arms across his chest and sat back down, eyebrows raised in Larry's direction. “Care to repeat your comments on Marshal Lehane again, Marshal Kirkland?” he asked firmly.  
  
Larry turned surprised eyes to the woman currently perched on the edge of the desk. “You heard that?” he asked.  
  
“What? Forgtot to read up on how I'm the only current Slayer with enough experience to test out as a Executioner/Federal Marshal? You've got a huge chip on your shoulder there if you forgot to do that, Larry boy.”  
  
Larry crossed his own arms and tried to stare her down, which only made her grin wider at him. “We kill monsters- doesn't mean we need to be one or be friends with them,” he repeated firmly.  
  
Faith scratched her head in mock confusion. “So, we kill monsters, but we're what? Evil if we hang out with them? So then, you don't like hanging out with Blake and her sweeties at her house?”  
  
Larry, starting to realize the depth of his misstep, tried to backtrack. “No, Nathaniel and Jason and Micah are all good. They're not soulless bodies with no concern for human life,” he clarified.  
  
His fellow Marshal jumped off the desk, stalking towards him until he'd backed up against the door. “So, what you're saying is that being, pardon the term, coffin bait, takes someone from a legitimate helpful force into a liability?” she asked him, deadly calm and serious for a change.  
  
“Yes, when a vampire can use you to help control others, how can you be sure that they're not guiding the witness or scaring them into confessing? It's monstrous and anyone who thinks that's ok to do is as much a monster as the one who does it,” Larry elaborated.  
  
Storr went to say something, but Faith held up a hand as she backed away a bit from Larry. “In other words, if there's someone who's willing to go to the extremes, if it means saving peoples' lives, but uses supernatural powers to do so, they shouldn't be considered human, in the eyes of the law, I mean?”  
  
Tammy held her breath in anticipation of her husband's next words, finally realizing where this had been going and too late to stop it.  
  
“Yes, that's what I'm saying,” Larry stated firmly and Tammy closed her eyes in defeat.  
  
Faith leaned back from her position over Larry and turned to Dolph. “I know you suspected it, even after Blake and Zerbrowski mentioned it, but hearsay wouldn't be admissable in the hearing.”  
  
Larry turned to look at her in disbelief. “What the fuck are you talking about?”  
  
“Simple, Kirkland- both the St Louis Police Department and two, no three fellow Marshals have petitioned that you be brought up for review about whether or not you should be removed as a Federal Marshal, citing your constant prejudicial comments as evidence,” she informed him coldly.  
  
“Well, everything said here is still hearsay too,” he said confidently, but his smirk faded as Faith's grew and she pulled a mike out of her top.  
  
“Not when it'd been recorded, it's not, and before you ask, I only had to get Captain Storr's permission to record in his office. You're a fucking disgrace to the Preternatural branch, Kirkland,” she spat out and walked out of the office.  
  
****  
  
Edward was waiting for her after she came out of the St Louis FBI office after filing the report, complete with testimonies from Anita, Zebrowski, Dolph, Edward, Brice, and, surprisingly, Tammy. When she'd shown up at Faith's place, tearfully holding onto a couple of sheets with her statement, Faith was hesitant, but when Tammy had stammered out her concerns and worries, ending with the declaration that Larry wasn't the same man she'd married and she thought counseling was the next step, Faith had put a little more credence in her perspective on things.  
  
“So, how'd it go?” he asked as she jumped over the door into the passenger seat of the convertible.  
  
“Better than I thought- most Slayers are viewed with a bunch of skepticism, since we're not allowed to use our mystical calling in the States now that vamps are citizens. Couple that with the Sunnydale Syndrome spell the late mayor had on the town- well, all the non-Sunnydale vamps knew about the truth, like Angelus, but that spell was wicked powerful- the longer they stayed, the more they forgot about how things were in the rest of the world.”  
  
“So I take it Angelus is a member of Bella Morte's line then?” Edward asked as he drove through the city towards his house.  
  
“Oh yeah,” Faith moaned, writhing in the seat for a moment before grabbing a hold of his rapidly hardening cock and rubbing on it as she continued to moan into his ear. Getting up onto her hands and knees and leaning closer, she whispered “Hurry up and get us home and I'll show you some of the tricks Angel and Cordelia taught me to do to a man.”  
  
Edward's foot merely slammed down on the accelerator a little harder as his lover laughed with glee beside him.


	7. Partnerships

Title: Partnerships  
Author: Christy  
Rating: FR 15  
Fandom/Theme: Buffy/Anita Blake  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here. They belong to their respective creators and production companies.  
Distribution: NeverNormal, TtH, AO3  
Series: FFA Madness #41; A Bigger World #7  
FFA Pairing: Angel Investigations/Jean Claude  
Spoilers: None   
Summary: Angel and Jean Claude form a partnership

What some of the group would still call Angel Investigations, even though they were mainly working under the aegis of Wolfram and Hart, since a Master could always use powerful backing, were currently enjoying the hospitality of the Master of St Louis as they tried to iron out a few things. The goal of it all was to keep things on good terms between their two territories, even with the unspoken upheavals in both areas something each party tried to keep under wraps. This was why Jean Claude had been joined by both Anita and Micah, because Asher’s punishment and banishment was still a tender subject. Angel had brought his wife, his son Connor and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.   
Jean Claude had been furious when he’d first learned about that until Damien told them that some of his sources said that he and his compatriot Rupert Giles were actually working on repairing things with them and the Vampire Council, in light of all their missteps. As he had explained to Anita as they dressed for the meeting, “ _Ma petite_ , it is not as if those two men were the ones being trained to take out some of our more feral brethren.” He had known about the Slayers beforehand, as had most of the Council, who had advised everyone to avoid the women whenever possible, although the Aurelian line, for whatever reason, continued to revel in pitting themselves against the fighters. Right now, however, he was standing with Anita and Micah while Richard continued to work on coming to grips to what a healthy Triumvirate meant.  
“Welcome back to my humble city, Angelus. Greetings to your family and I see you also brought a..Watcher with you,” he intoned coolly.  
“Yes, that was true at one time, but since the advent of Addison versus Clarke, I have fully embraced my role and head researcher with Wolfram and Hart’s LA branch. Most of those people I used to work with in London can bugger off, as far as I’m concerned,” Wesley responded tersely.  
Jean Claude inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Then we both have more in common than I originally thought, _mon ami_. Now, to dinner and then to business,” he said, waving them all to their seats.


End file.
